Book #26

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

This is the first nonfiction I’ve tackled in a long time–and it was fabulous. The book is about HeLa cells, which are widely used in scientific testing/researching, and the woman behind them. HeLa cells are such an important scientific item (these cells are everywhere and have been used to help develop the polio vaccine, for AIDS research, for cancer research and so much more), and yet I had never heard of them, much less their source. The book was fascinating for that alone, but then went on to bring up interesting medical ethics points while simultaneously sharing the lives of Henrietta’s descendents. I highly recommend this book.